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Perfect Pitch: The Art of Selling Ideas and Winning New Business
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A professional "pitching coach" for one of the world's largest marketing conglomerates, Jon Steel shares his secrets and explains how you can create presentations and pitches that win hearts, minds, and new business. He identifies the dos and don'ts and uses real-world examples to prove his points. If you make pitches for new business, this is the perfect book for you.
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Hardcover, 262 pages
Published
October 1st 2006
by Wiley
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some good points/strategies for creating presentations are explained here that I'll surely keep in mind when making my own presentations. however, if presenters aren't at a certain skill level, I'm sure that using steel's tips would result in a somewhat gimmicky presentation designed to simply be different from the rest, and I wish the book had done more to address how to balance uniqueness with message. additionally, as the book was published in 2006, a lot of its positions on technology are a
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The author explains how what lines should a good presentation follow in the first 2/3 of the book. He does this with help of concrete examples, which are really good.
In the last 1/3, he talks about the process of winning new businesses specifically in the advertisement industry. In my opinion with excelente insights about how to work in a team and preparing a presentation.
In the last 1/3, he talks about the process of winning new businesses specifically in the advertisement industry. In my opinion with excelente insights about how to work in a team and preparing a presentation.

I used to really dread presenting and was terrible at it. Then a colleague and I vowed to improve our skills so we both read this book. We loved reading this book! I learned a lot about the mechanics of giving a good speech, preparation and a whole host of other things. It's definitely worth the time and effort.
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Perfect Pitch is probably the best book about presentations and presenting that I have ever read. Gets really to the core of any good presentation (crafting of an idea, developing a story around it, delivering the idea) instead of dealing only with creating the right "slides". That was probably my main problem I had with another book with the similar topic: Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery
The reason I haven't given this book five stars is twofold. First, I have ...more
The reason I haven't given this book five stars is twofold. First, I have ...more

I have yet to read a business book that really kept me engaged, which is why I couldn't give this 5 stars. The concept of this book is very solid and definitely transforms your ideas on presentations/pitches. A couple of my favorite small tid-bits:
- Don't say "we've got a great presentation for you"
- If your audience already knows something, acknowledge it and move on
- Use personal stories
- Don't always use Apple and Nike as your examples
- The data dump must be part of the process, not the pres ...more
- Don't say "we've got a great presentation for you"
- If your audience already knows something, acknowledge it and move on
- Use personal stories
- Don't always use Apple and Nike as your examples
- The data dump must be part of the process, not the pres ...more

this book is EPIC. everyone in business should read it. my prof at state, who taught law and business ethics, told me to read it. everything about it is a learning experience. i read it two times after the first and told my dad to read it. he read it and was blown away (mind you, he's read just about everything). he even emailed the author and thanked him for inspiring him to become a better businessman. he mentioned that his daughter (me) was graduating from msu in a few weeks that year. the au
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Sep 09, 2014
Reed
added it
Excellent book on how to get over the nervousness and paranoia of presenting in front of small and large groups of people. This book teaches the idea that in order to reach an audience effectively, that you must use emotion. Also, great ideas on how to avoid being boring, knowing information/vs memorizing it, and how the big fish in the pond isn't always the survivor. Great read! What does everyone else think? What industry do you work? Or what points in the book have you found helpful?
Very curi ...more
Very curi ...more

Good read. There are some really insightful bits on preparing for a presentation, giving a presentations, and pitching in general. Jon Steel rights with a bit of sarcasm, which makes his books enjoyable. If you're in the advertising business, or you're in any business where you need to pitch or present, I highly recommend this one.
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I thoroughly enjoyed Jon Steel's "Truth, Lies and Advertising" in the 1990s. It is perhaps the best first-person telling of what it'l like being an account planner at an advertising agency. While "Perfect Pitch" isn't about account planning or advertising strategy per se, it covers the most important tool in a planner's belt -- how to give a persuasive, un-boring presentation.
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A very useful book if you work in advertising. If you don't but your life depends on presentation, it is still relevant half of the time. The universal learning ia how to become a more engaging and persuasive presenter of idea, and hence, more effective.
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Fantastic advice whether you're pitching or simply presenting.
Close your email and get to winning! ...more
Close your email and get to winning! ...more

Excellent read. I wish every presenter would be forced to read it.

May 18, 2009
Arthur Charlez
added it
First section on "Presentation Crimes" is mad engaging. Not an easy read at all, but every paragpraph makes you want to read the next..
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